Tuesday, 21 January 2014

Eahlswith - Queen of Alfred the Great

In light of the current interest in Alfred the Great occasioned by the search for his bones, I thought I would look at his wife, Eahlswith, who is now largely forgotten. Although entirely overshadowed by her husband, the queen played an important role in supporting him, as well as being an influence over her son, Edward the Elder.

Eahlswith was the daughter of Aethelred, known as Mucil,
ealdorman of the Gaini. The Gaini was an old tribal group absorbed into the
kingdom of Mercia and Mucil was an important figure at the Wessex court,
attesting two charters of King Aethelred I in 868. Her maternal lineage
was even more impressive and her mother, Eadburgh, was a member of the Mercian
royal family. According to Alfred's biographer, Asser, Eahlswith’s mother was a ‘notable woman, who
remained for many years after the death of her husband a chaste widow, until
her death’.

Alfred married Eahlswith due to her prominent family and royal
connections. At the same time as their betrothal in 868 he was also created
heir apparent by his elder brother, Ethelred I. At around the same time
Ethelred and Alfred received an appeal from their brother-in-law, King Burgred
of Mercia, for aid against the Vikings and the marriage was celebrated
during this campaign. According to Asser, the ceremony was held in the presence
of a number of witnesses and accompanied by feasting that lasted both day and
night. It is possible that Eahlswith met her husband for the first time at her
wedding and, if this is the case, the omens were not good. Following the
feasting Alfred ‘was struck without warning in the presence of the entire
gathering by a sudden severe pain that was quite unknown to all physicians’.
Alfred’s illness continued, on and off, for twenty years.

Alfred became king of Wessex in 871. In accordance with tradition,
Eahlswith was never called queen, instead being referred to by the title ‘lady’.
In spite of this, she was a prominent figure. During the reign of her
son she was referred to as ‘the true lady of the English’. She played no political role during Alfred’s reign and was
content to remain in a domestic sphere, accompanying her husband and children
into exile in January 878 in order to avoid capture by the Vikings. This was a
traumatic time, since the Viking leader, Guthrum, declared
that Alfred had abandoned his kingdom and forfeited his crown. He spent the
first half of 878 as a fugitive on the Isle of Athelney. From here, Alfred
carried out guerrilla attacks on Guthrum, defeating him in battle at Edington
later that year.

Eahlswith returned to Wessex with Alfred when he regained his throne.
There is little record of her activities during Alfred’s reign and she may have
devoted her energies to the church. Certainly, she had the pious example of her
own mother to draw upon and Alfred was also deeply religious, founding two
religious houses during his reign: Athelney for monks and Shaftesbury Abbey for
nuns. That Eahlswith was involved in the foundation of these houses is suggested
by the fact that her daughter, Aethelgifu was appointed abbess at Shaftesbury
and lived there with other nuns of noble status. Eahlswith’s piety can also be
seen after Alfred’s death as she founded the Convent of St Mary at Winchester
(known as Nunnaminster) during her widowhood. Asser referred to Eahlswith as
Alfred’s ‘excellent wife’, suggesting that she conformed to contemporary ideals
of queenly piety.

Eahlswith bore a number of children, with five surviving to
adulthood. Aethelflaed, her eldest child, married Ealdorman Aethelred of
Mercia, succeeding as ruler of Mercia herself after her husband’s death. The
couple’s second daughter, Aethelgifu entered the church, whilst
the youngest, Aelfthryth, married Count Baldwin II of Flanders. Eahlswith also
bore two surviving sons, Edward, who succeeded his father as king and Aethelweard. Eahlswith is likely to have been involved in the education of Edward and Aelfthryth, since they were raised at court.

Alfred and Eahlswith were married for over thirty years. Alfred died in
899 and, in his Will, paid Eahlswith the tribute of leaving her three estates
and a share of £400 to be divided between her and her daughters. She often visited her son’s court and witnessed a charter in 901. She died on 5
December 902 and was buried in the New Minster at Winchester beside her
husband.

You can find out more about Eahlswith and the other Anglo-Saxon (and later) queens in my book, England's Queens: The Biography (Amberley, 2011).

About Me

I'm an author and historian, specialising on the queens of England and the Tudor period. I love all things historical, training as an archaeologist before switching to historical research. I am currently carrying out academic research at King's College, London. I have written several books, including biographies of four of Henry VIII's wives, Margaret Beaufort, Bessie Blount and The Boleyn Women